Guide Note

Golden Sun is a role-playing game released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001. The developer, Camelot Software Planning is a Japanese video game company established in 1990. The company was the creative force behind the popular Shining series, which includes Shining Soul for GBA and Shining Tears for PS2. The company has also developed a number of sports games such as Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour for Nintendo GameCube.

Fast Facts:

1. Developer: Camelot Software Planning
2. Publisher: Nintendo
3. Platform: Game Boy Advance
4. Genre: Role-Playing
5. Mode: Singleplayer
6. ESRB Rating: Everyone (E)
7. Release date: November 11, 2001

The elders of the village of Vale are the caretakers of Sol Sanctum, an ancient shrine that guards the secret of Alchemy. Now somebody has broken into the shrine and is threatening to release the powers of Alchemy, which in the past caused endless greed and conflict. Isaac, the hero of the game, must pursue the invaders. He is accompanied by three friends. The story does not end with Golden Sun and the conclusion can be found in the game's sequel, Golden Sun: The Lost Age.

Golden Sun is set in a fantasy world and possesses many traditional RPG elements. Isaac and his party start out as novices who learn new skills and acquire more powerful equipment as the game progresses. Non-player characters serve a central role to advance the story. There are both random battles and scripted battles, which are required to advance the storyline. Unlike many RPG's, spells in Golden Sun are not used solely in combat or for healing. Players must also use them to interact with the game world. For example, use the Douse spell to extinguish a fire or Reveal to light up a wall with a hidden door.

One key element to gameplay are the Djinn. They are magical creatures that assist Isaac throughout the game. They can do damage, improve stats, weaken enemies, and combine to summon even more powerful beings. Each Djinn belongs to one of four elements - Venus, Mars, Jupiter, or Mercury. There are 28 Djinn in total, seven of each element. A character's class changes based on the Djinn that are associated to him. Due to the large variety of Djinn, there are many different classes available. Isaac, for example, has access to more than twenty classes, each with different stats and spells.